Battery Breakthrough: Li-ions Start to Roar
New Scientist reports on a new rechargable battery that can be charged in six minutes and lasts up to ten times a long as rechargables currently on the market. My digital camera and my cell phone are waiting ...
A rechargeable battery that can be fully charged in just 6 minutes, lasts 10 times as long as today's rechargeables and can provide bursts of electricity up to three times more powerful is showing promise in a Nevada lab.
The highest energy-per-weight ratio in today's batteries is provided by lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. ... But Li-ion cells have their drawbacks ... They eventually wear out, and they cannot discharge energy quickly enough for applications requiring power surges, such as camera flashguns and power tools.
They may soon be able to. Altair Technologies of Reno has created a new type of Li-ion cell in which the anode has an exceptionally high surface area. This allows electrons to enter and leave it quickly--making fast recharging possible and providing high currents when needed.
... The high current that this modified electrode is able to carry means power-hungry devices can be installed in mobile phones, which until now have been denied them.
... Altair says the battery will have other advantages, too.
... The more rugged lithium titanate anode should make it possible to recharge the battery as many as 20,000 times says Roy Graham, development director at Altair.
... Altair plans to develop its batteries for power tools, which have till now required more expensive Ni-Cd or NiMH batteries to provide the large currents these devices need. The company hopes to license its technology to major battery-makers, who could have the device on the market in two years' time. Altair says it eventually wants to produce batteries for a broad range of devices, from phones to hybrid electric vehicles.
[Tags: energy battery batteries technology science breakthroughs cell phones mobile phones power tools inventions gadgets Altair]
A rechargeable battery that can be fully charged in just 6 minutes, lasts 10 times as long as today's rechargeables and can provide bursts of electricity up to three times more powerful is showing promise in a Nevada lab.
The highest energy-per-weight ratio in today's batteries is provided by lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. ... But Li-ion cells have their drawbacks ... They eventually wear out, and they cannot discharge energy quickly enough for applications requiring power surges, such as camera flashguns and power tools.
They may soon be able to. Altair Technologies of Reno has created a new type of Li-ion cell in which the anode has an exceptionally high surface area. This allows electrons to enter and leave it quickly--making fast recharging possible and providing high currents when needed.
... The high current that this modified electrode is able to carry means power-hungry devices can be installed in mobile phones, which until now have been denied them.
... Altair says the battery will have other advantages, too.
... The more rugged lithium titanate anode should make it possible to recharge the battery as many as 20,000 times says Roy Graham, development director at Altair.
... Altair plans to develop its batteries for power tools, which have till now required more expensive Ni-Cd or NiMH batteries to provide the large currents these devices need. The company hopes to license its technology to major battery-makers, who could have the device on the market in two years' time. Altair says it eventually wants to produce batteries for a broad range of devices, from phones to hybrid electric vehicles.
[Tags: energy battery batteries technology science breakthroughs cell phones mobile phones power tools inventions gadgets Altair]
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